The present disclosure relates to fluid dispensing. More particularly, this disclosure relates to independent control of a fluid management system by a fluid management controller.
Fluid management has become increasingly important to control the costs of fluid overhead. For example, many vehicle fleet managers and auto dealerships have installed fluid management systems to efficiently dispense fluids, such as motor oil and transmission fluid. Such fluid management systems frequently include a fluid tank and a pump located away from a dispensing point. Fluid management systems can include wireless transmission and reception of meter and tank level information to make it simple to track the fluid dispensing of an entire facility. Fluid management systems can also include an authorization control that prevents fluid dispensing without prior authorization.
Fluid management systems typically include a pump control and a dispensing point, such as a dispense meter. The software controlling the fluid management system may be operated from a personal computer (“PC”) or other computing platform. The PC can be located near the fluid dispensing point, such as at a vehicle technician work station, for example, or in various other locations. The PC may be configured to communicate, and in many cases, control at least one other component in the fluid management system, such as the dispense meter, the pump control, and/or a tank monitor. The PC may also be configured to collect, aggregate, analyze, and report fluid usage and statistics. The PC may also include a transceiver configured to communicate with the fluid management system hardware through a wireless network.
PC-based software for a fluid management system relies upon both the operating system of the PC and the communication hardware and software of the PC. If either the operating system or hardware of the PC is not operating properly, the fluid management software will not function. Updates to firewall security on the PC can prevent the fluid management software operating on the PC from connecting with the fluid management hardware, such as the fluid management pump or dispensing meter. Patches or updates to the PC operating system, fleet management system, or dealership management system, or an entirely new version of an operating system, can also affect the operation of the fluid management software and communication between the fluid management software and the fluid management hardware, and can prevent integration of the fluid management software and the fleet management software.